Book of 1 Samuel

Chapters

Summary

Summary of the Book of 1 Samuel

This summary of the book of 1 Samuel provides information about the title, author(s), date of writing, chronology, theme,
theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the Book of 1 Samuel.

Title

1
and 2 Samuel are named after the person God used to establish monarchy in Israel.
Samuel not only anointed both Saul and David, Israel's first two kings, but
he also gave definition to the new order of God's rule over Israel. Samuel's
role as God's representative in this period of Israel's history is close to
that of Moses (see Ps 99:6; Jer 15:1) since he, more than any other person,
provided for covenant continuity in the transition from the rule of the judges
to that of the monarchy.

1 and 2 Samuel were originally one book. It was divided into two parts by
the translators of the Septuagint (the pre-Christian Greek translation of the
OT) -- a division subsequently followed by Jerome (in the Latin Vulgate, c. a.d.
400) and by modern versions. The title of the book has varied from time to
time, having been designated "The First and Second Books of Kingdoms" (Septuagint),
"First and Second Kings" (Vulgate) and "First and Second Samuel" (Hebrew tradition
and most modern versions).

Literary Features, Authorship and Date

Many questions have arisen pertaining to the literary character, authorship
and date of 1,2 Samuel. Certain features of the book suggest that it was compiled
with the use of a number of originally independent sources, which the author
may have incorporated into his own composition as much as possible in their
original, unedited form.

Who the author was cannot be known since the book itself gives no indication
of his identity. Whoever he was, he doubtless had access to records of the
life and times of Samuel, Saul and David. Explicit reference in the book itself
is made to only one such source (the Book of Jashar, 2Sa 1:18), but the writer
of Chronicles refers to four others that pertain to this period (the book of
the annals of King David, 1Ch 27:24; the records of Samuel the seer; the records
of Nathan the prophet; the records of Gad the seer, 1Ch 29:29).

Contents and Theme: Kingship and Covenant

1 Samuel relates God's establishment of a political system in Israel headed
by a human king. Before the author describes this momentous change in the structure
of the theocracy (God's kingly rule over his people), he effectively depicts
the complexity of its context. The following events provide both historical
and theological background for the beginning of the monarchy:

1. The
birth, youth and call of Samuel (chs. 1 - 3). In a book dealing for the
most part with the reigns of Israel's first two kings, Saul and David, it
is significant that the author chose not to include a birth narrative of
either of these men, but to describe the birth of their forerunner and anointer,
the prophet Samuel. This in itself accentuates the importance the author
attached to Samuel's role in the events that follow. He seems to be saying
in a subtle way that flesh and blood are to be subordinated to word and Spirit
in the process of the establishment of kingship. For this reason chs. 1 - 3
should be viewed as integrally related to what follows, not as a more likely
component of the book of Judges or as a loosely attached prefix to the rest
of 1,2 Samuel. Kingship is given its birth and then nurtured by the prophetic
word and work of the prophet Samuel. Moreover, the events of Samuel's nativity
thematically anticipate the story of God's working that is narrated in the
rest of the book.

2. The "ark narratives" (chs. 4 - 6). This section describes how the
ark of God was captured by the Philistines and then, after God wreaked havoc
on several Philistine cities, how it was returned to Israel. These narratives
reveal the folly of Israel's notion that possession of the ark automatically
guaranteed victory over her enemies. They also display the awesome power of
the Lord (Yahweh, the God of Israel) and his superiority over the Philistine
god Dagon. The Philistines were forced to confess openly their helplessness
against God's power by their return of the ark to Israel. The entire ark episode
performs a vital function in placing Israel's subsequent sinful desire for
a human king in proper perspective.

3. Samuel as a judge and deliverer (ch. 7). When Samuel called Israel
to repentance and renewed dedication to the Lord, the Lord intervened mightily
in Israel's behalf and gave victory over the Philistines. This narrative reaffirms
the authority of Samuel as a divinely ordained leader; at the same time it
provides evidence of divine protection and blessing for God's people when they
place their confidence in the Lord and live in obedience to their covenant
obligations.

All the material in chs. 1 - 7 serves as a necessary preface for the narratives
of chs. 8 - 12, which describe the rise and establishment of kingship in Israel.
The author has masterfully arranged the stories in chs. 8 - 12 in order to accentuate
the serious theological conflict surrounding the historical events. In the
study of these chapters, scholars have often noted the presence of a tension
or ambivalence in the attitude toward the monarchy: On the one hand, Samuel
is commanded by the Lord to give the people a king (8:7,9,22; 9:16-17; 10:24; 12:13); on the other hand, their request for a king is considered a sinful
rejection of the Lord (8:7; 10:19; 12:12,17,19-20). These seemingly conflicting
attitudes toward the monarchy must be understood in the context of Israel's
covenant relationship with the Lord.

Moses had anticipated Israel's desire for a human king (Dt 17:14-20), but
Israelite kingship was to be compatible with the continued rule of the Lord
over his people as their Great King. Instead, when the elders asked Samuel
to give them a king (8:5,19-20), they rejected the Lord's kingship over them.
Their desire was for a king such as the nations around them had -- to lead them
in battle and give them a sense of national security and unity. The request
for a king constituted a denial of their covenant relationship to the Lord,
who was their King. Moreover, the Lord not only had promised to be their protector
but had also repeatedly demonstrated his power in their behalf, most recently
in the ark narratives (chs. 4 - 6), as well as in the great victory won over
the Philistines under the leadership of Samuel (ch. 7).

Nevertheless the Lord instructed Samuel to give the people a king. By divine
appointment Saul was brought into contact with Samuel, and Samuel was directed
to anoint him privately as king (9:1 -- 10:16). Subsequently, Samuel gathered
the people at Mizpah, where, after again admonishing them concerning their
sin in desiring a king (10:18-19), he presided over the selection of a king
by lot. The lot fell on Saul and publicly designated him as the one whom God
had chosen (10:24). Saul did not immediately assume his royal office, but returned
home to work his fields (11:5,7). When the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead were
threatened by Nahash the Ammonite, Saul rose to the challenge, gathered an
army and led Israel to victory in battle. His success placed a final seal of
divine approval on Saul's selection to be king (cf. 10:24; 11:12-13) and occasioned
the inauguration of his reign at Gilgal (11:14 -- 12:25).

The question that still needed resolution, then, was not so much whether
Israel should have a king (it was clearly the Lord's will to give them a king),
but rather how they could maintain their covenant with God (i.e., preserve
the theocracy) now that they had a human king. The problem was resolved when
Samuel called the people to repentance and renewal of their allegiance to the
Lord on the very occasion of the inauguration of Saul as king (see note on
10:25). By establishing kingship in the context of covenant renewal, Samuel
placed the monarchy in Israel on a radically different footing from that in
surrounding nations. The king in Israel was not to be autonomous in his authority
and power; rather, he was to be subject to the law of the Lord and the word
of the prophet (10:25; 12:23). This was to be true not only for Saul but also
for all the kings who would occupy the throne in Israel in the future. The
king was to be an instrument of the Lord's rule over his people, and the people
as well as the king were to continue to recognize the Lord as their ultimate
Sovereign (12:14-15).

Saul soon demonstrated that he was unwilling to submit to the requirements
of his theocratic office (chs. 13 - 15). When he disobeyed the instructions of
the prophet Samuel in preparation for battle against the Philistines (13:13),
and when he refused to totally destroy the Amalekites as he had been commanded
to do by the word of the Lord through Samuel (ch. 15), he ceased to be an instrument
of the Lord's rule over his people. These abrogations of the requirements of
his theocratic office led to his rejection as king (15:23).

The remainder of 1 Samuel (chs. 16 - 31) depicts the Lord's choice of David
to be Saul's successor, and then describes the long road by which David is
prepared for accession to the throne. Although Saul's rule became increasingly
antitheocratic in nature, David refused to usurp the throne by forceful means
but left his accession to office in the Lord's hands. Eventually Saul was wounded
in a battle with the Philistines and, fearing capture, took his own life. Three
of Saul's sons, including David's loyal friend Jonathan, were killed in the
same battle (ch. 31).

Chronology

Even though the narratives of 1,2 Samuel contain some statements of chronological
import (see, e.g., 1Sa 6:1; 7:2; 8:1,5; 13:1; 25:1; 2Sa 2:10-11; 5:4-5; 14:28; 15:7), the data are insufficient to establish a precise chronology for the
major events of this period of Israel's history. Except for the dates of David's
birth and the duration of his reign, which are quite firm (see 2Sa 5:4-5),
most other dates can only be approximated. The textual problem with the chronological
data on the age of Saul when he became king and the length of his reign (see
NIV text notes on 1Sa 13:1) contributes to uncertainty concerning the precise
time of his birth and the beginning of his reign. No information is given concerning
the time of Samuel's birth (1Sa 1:20) or death (25:1). His lifetime probably
overlapped that of Samson and that of Obed, son of Ruth and Boaz and grandfather
of David. It is indicated that he was well along in years when the elders of
Israel asked him to give them a king (see 8:1,5). One other factor contributing
to chronological uncertainty is that the author has not always arranged his
material in strict chronological sequence. It seems clear, e.g., that 2Sa 7
is to be placed chronologically after David's conquests described in 2Sa 8:1-14
(see notes on 2Sa 7:1; 8:1). The story of the famine sent by God on Israel
during the reign of David because of Saul's violation of a treaty with the
Gibeonites is found in 2Sa 21:1-14, though chronologically it occurred prior
to the time of Absalom's rebellion recorded in 2Sa 15-18 (see further the notes
on 2Sa 21:1-14). The following dates, however, provide an approximate chronological
framework for the times of Samuel, Saul and David.